


Escape Pod

by IcyPanther



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25224916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyPanther/pseuds/IcyPanther
Summary: A promising alliance goes sideways with Lance and Keith caught in the middle. They’ve got to get out of there and fast and that means taking the first available transport out. Which apparently means a small, cramped escape pod that was not meant for two humans. And most definitely not meant for a human who is not only claustrophobic but has a very, very bad concussion.
Relationships: Keith & Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 82
Kudos: 387





	Escape Pod

**Author's Note:**

> **Timeline notes:** early to mid season three  
>  **Warning notes:** none

“—ance, come on,” and the words were angry — no, scared, it was scared but that was wrong too because Keith was never scared — and accompanied by a harsher tug on his hand as though Lance wasn’t already moving as quick as he could.

Oh.

No.

Wait.

He’d stopped.

When had he stopped?

 _“Lance,”_ Keith pulled harder and Lance stumbled after him, dizzy and disoriented and a throbbing ache pounding inside his head. 

He felt a little sick too.

The feeling grew worse as he tried to focus, to bring the blurry image of Keith’s hand wrapped about his.

His stomach lurched. 

And then Keith was in his face and he was _too_ in focus but it was still better than the fuzzy picture and Lance blinked, trying to make sense as Keith’s mouth was moving but he couldn’t hear him now over the high-pitched ringing in his ears that was growing louder with every second.

“What?” he tried to ask but he couldn’t hear himself either.

He didn’t feel good.

He’d feel better if he sat down.

He went to do so but Keith was _yanking_ on his arm and _Dios_ that _hurt,_ and Lance went forward instead. Keith was letting go of his hand then and arms were wrapping around him and then the world was spinning in a nauseating circle as Keith picked him up and slung him over his back. 

And then he ran.

Lance’s tried very hard not to throw up.

He tried to focus on something past the ringing.

His eyes lighted on blurry green shapes behind them.

Oh.

Those were the aliens they’d come here to meet. 

They looked like jelly beans.

Lance grinned.

His stomach rolled.

His smile dropped.

He forgot. He didn’t like jelly beans.

And…

And these aliens…

He didn’t like them either.

They’d…

His eyes widened.

They’d _attacked_ them. 

And he’d…

His head pulsed in remembrance.

He was going to…

To…

“Keeee,” he managed to get out.

Maybe. 

He wasn’t sure if he’d actually spoken.

And then he vomited.

It tasted like the champagne they’d had — to celebrate their alliance, he remembered, a minute before the jelly bean next to Keith had pulled out a gun and… and... — and the too rich soup and he was grateful he’d missed Keith’s back as it splattered all over the hallway.

He still felt mortified.

At least the ringing was a little quieter now.

“—door, third door, third door,” Keith was chanting and Lance’s stomach heaved again as Keith made a sudden turn and his shoulder plate dug into Lance.

Keith paused then, so suddenly Lance’s head smashed into Keith’s back, and his vision went white and black and _pain pain pain_ screamed inside his head and he might be screaming outside too he wasn’t sure because everything was dark and it _hurt_ and it was spinning and he was going to be sick again.

He came back to hands sliding on his back and everything tipped alarmingly and then his feet and shoulders were hitting something and he was being _pushed_ forward and he _fell._

It wasn’t far, a few inches at most, and he hit the ground that was ringing strangely and he felt sick and hurt and what was happening where was he why was he on the ground?

He went to try to sit up and his head hit the ceiling.

White hot lightning struck.

He couldn’t scream though.

He didn’t have any air.

Instead he gasped and choked and the ringing was back and the black was making things dizzier so he tried to see, tried to focus.

The scene came in blurry snapshots.

Metal walls.

Metal floor.

Metal ceiling.

So close.

Too close.

Lance whined in the back of his throat.

Blinking lights.

Small window.

More lights.

Red and white movement.

Keith.

Nearly on top of him, hands splayed over Lance’s head, chestplate in his face.

He was talking.

Too quick.

Too fast.

Lance moaned again, squeezing his eyes shut.

Hissing noise. 

Everything _shook._

Rattled.

And then it _moved._

The pieces clicked with startling clarity.

They were escaping.

In a ship.

A small ship.

A pod.

An escape pod.

They were in an escape pod.

An escape pod meant for one jelly bean.

They were not jelly beans.

And there were two of them.

He whimpered.

No.

No, too small.

It was too small.

“—ance, stop,” Keith’s voice filtered in.

Too close.

Everything was too close.

“Lance!” Keith’s voice was sharper then and it _hurt._

The hand bumping against his helmet hurt more.

Lance recoiled with a choked sob.

“—rry, I’m sorry, shh, Lance, it’s okay. Okay, it’s not but, hey, come on—”

Keith’s voice was rising in pitch.

Fear.

Keith was scared.

Lance was scared too.

It was too _small._

It was too _dark._

They were going to _die._

And no one was going to hear them scream.

“Lance, focus, come on, focus, come on,” a hand patted his cheek, featherlight and quick and Lance flinched.

Keith went quiet then and the only sound was heavy breaths and Lance’s rapid panting and he could feel Keith’s exhales on his cheek.

“Lance,” Keith said his name softer, gentler, a few moments later. “ _Breathe.”_

Lance tried.

His lungs didn’t seem to be working.

His head hurt.

He felt sick.

Everything was too _close._

Keith shifted atop him, chest plate clanking against Lance’s, and he felt Keith reaching for the clasp that would undo his own.

Why?

What was going on?

He needed that on. If the jellybeans came back...

He heard Keith’s release and then Keith was shifting, clearly trying to wriggle out of it and there was a heavier _thunk_ and Lance dully realized Keith’s back had struck the ceiling.

Because the ceiling was close.

Too close.

He choked on his next breath.

There was a clattering noise then and something struck his feet and he flinched.

He flinched again as he felt Keith’s hands sliding along his own chest plate, seeking the release latch. 

“Noo,” he protested, trying to turn away, to bat at Keith’s hands, but his arms were trapped at his sides and he couldn’t move and it was too small and too dark and it _hurt_ and why why why—?

Keith was tugging his chestplate off then and Lance heaved in a gasp of air as and then another as the weight disappeared.

It still wasn’t enough.

Keith’s hands were back a moment later barely hovering on his helmet, and even that sent ripples of pain through his head and Lance tried to pull back but his head only struck the wall more and he whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Lance, hold still. I, I need to see it.”

No.

No he didn’t.

And he couldn’t take the helmet off.

It was the only thing that had saved him.

He remembered that.

The jelly bean had the gun and…

And…

He’d summoned his helmet and there had been a bright light and then…

Then pain.

And darkness.

And screaming and yelling and more gunfire and laser blasts and—

Lance let out a strangled scream of his own as fingers brushed against the coiled lightning.

And they didn’t _stop._

There was a bright light now and it _burned_ as much as the pain and he felt his head being turned to the side, cheek smushed against the ground.

And then it stopped.

The light, the touch, the worst of the pain even if his head still pounded and his stomach was still rolling and even lying down he felt so dizzy.

Lance laid there, panting and whimpering and waiting.

The hand — shaking, shaking so so badly — came back but it didn’t touch his head.

It landed around one of his hands and squeezed. 

“Lance?” Keith’s voice was soft. “Can… can you hear me?”

He tried to say yes but his tongue didn’t want to cooperate, and made a garbled moan instead, eyes still squinted shut to keep the pain from going outside.

Keith took that for a yes.

“It’s not good,” he continued.

Lance frowned.

What wasn’t good?

The jelly beans?

He knew. 

They’d…

They’d tried to kill them.

They’d tried to kill Keith.

“Your head,” Keith clarified. 

Oh.

Yes, that made sense.

“But, but it’s not as bad as I…” Keith swallowed heavily. “God, Lance. Wh-why did you…?”

Lance tried to follow.

He couldn’t.

His head hurt too much. 

The walls were too close.

He whimpered, trying to draw his legs up, to make himself smaller, but he _couldn’t move._

Keith was braced above him, his legs were jammed against the too small wall with armor pieces on top of them and it was too small and the walls were closing in and they were going to die and— 

“Hey, hey,” a hand tapped his cheek but slower than last time. “Lance, come on. It’s… it’s okay. You’re okay. Well, I’m pretty sure you have a concussion and there’s definitely burns but it’s not bleeding anymore and—”

Lance moaned and Keith’s babble cut off immediately.

Too fast.

Too much.

“I’m sorry,” Keith whispered. “That’s… that’s not helping, is it?”

Lance didn’t know how to answer that.

“I’m sorry,” Keith apologized again voice thick. “I… I don’t know what, what I’m d-doing. I don’t know why Shiro thought…”

Keith’s breath hitched.

Lance dimly realized Keith was about to cry.

He squeezed their conjoined hands and Keith made another breathy, choked gasp.

“We’re… we’re gonna be okay,” he whispered a moment later. “Okay, Lance? We, we got out. We’re heading to Olkarion. They’ll be able to help you and, and then we can meet with the others and go back for Black and…”

Keith broke off.

Lance felt a different sort of stabbing pain, this one in his chest.

That’s right.

The Black Lion.

She was still there with the jelly beans. 

It wasn’t Keith’s fault though. 

He squeezed Keith’s hand again. 

Keith squeezed tightly back.

“She’ll be okay. Vari told me her particle barrier was up. And, and not everyone there wants to,” he swallowed thickly and Lance could feel him shaking, “wants to turn us into the Galra. They’ll watch over her until we get back.”

Lance didn’t entirely understand but…

But Keith sounded calmer.

That was good enough.

Keith squeezed his hand again and then let go, bracing himself more fully and chest lifting up where it was starting to press against Lance’s.

He could feel Keith shaking harder. 

He was exhausted.

And, and trying not to squash Lance, to give him as much space as possible in their cramped pod.

Lance swallowed.

And shifted towards one of the too close walls, whimpering as his shoulder bumped it and Keith’s hand lifted up and then landed painfully on his chest before sliding off as Lance forced himself to turn, back pressing fully against the wall and opening up their small space a few inches.

He felt Keith sink into the space with a sigh and a helmeted head gently bump into his nose as Keith rearranged.

A hand reached out and after a few bumps it landed on his hand and gave it a small squeeze. “We’ve… we’ve got at least eight hours before we reach Olkarion. Try… try to get some sleep, okay?”

Lance didn’t know how that was possible with the too close walls and the too much pain and too much dark but…

But Keith asked and it made sense and he was tired and if he slept maybe the pain would go away and when he woke up everything would be right again.

“And Lance?” Keith squeezed his hand again. “...thank you.”

Lance felt his lips pull up into a smile.

Everything else was wrong but…

But _this_ was right.

And that was enough for now. 

**Author's Note:**

> Haven't had much luck with engagement with the last few updates (or my last platonic klance fic that I was really excited to share >>) but maybe physical whump of claustrophobia + concussion over emotional whump will have a better response. A girl can hope xD Fic request of Lance + an escape pod + disorientation (which I doubled down on with a concussion and my headcanon claustrophobia because go big or go home ;p) with Keith along for the ride. 
> 
> (Also, for some unknown reason, when I ever I read the word "escape" now I hear it as Dory from Finding Nemo going "escapé" and I do not know why xD)
> 
> If you enjoyed fic, please please do leave a comment below detailing what you liked about it (the small details make my day!) Emotional support and validation is super important and appreciated and your comments mean the world. **_Please_ don’t just read and run (or just leave a kudo >>)! Leave a comment! Thank you!** (haa, or not. Trying so hard to force myself to continue to post and let's just say it's not working.)
> 
> 💥 **(Like my works? Want to read even MORE? Visit my[Tumblr, icypantherwrites](https://icypantherwrites.tumblr.com)!)💥**  
> 


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